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Taylor McCloud
|ethnicity= Caucasian |homeworld= Eden Prime |eras= *The Great Galactic Revival |born=October 27th, 2248 CE |died= |gender=Male |height=175.26 centimeters (5.9 Ft) |weight=72 Kg (160 Lbs) |skin= Fair |eyes=Blue |hair=Blonde |physical= |mental= *Slightly Dyslexic |medical= *Biotic *Extremely Durable Endoskeleton *High IQ *Retrograde Amnesia |augmentations=*L9 Implants *Heavy bone weave *Heavy muscle weave |class= * |specializations=* |talents= *Martial Arts *Acrobatics *Fitness |powers= * * * *Biotic Strike * |weapons= MS-22 Heavy Pistol |armors= IZ Harbinger BMBS |equipment= |affiliation= |service number= |rank= |occupation= |loyalty= |conflicts= }} Taylor Hand McClellan was the Captain of the MSV Eon Griffon, agent of the Shadow Broker, former mercenary and Biotic during the Great Galactic Revival. He is the primary protagonist of Mass Effect: Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy. He was born Eden Prime, the son of marine [[James Van McClellan. Following his parent's divorce, James enrolled Taylor, a biotic, into an academy on Terra Nova. As his potential developed, Orthrus, a biotic front company for Cerberus took notice. After James shot down Orthrus attempts to enroll Taylor into a special biotic program, Cerberus took the matters into their own hands, kidnapping Taylor and killing James in the process. From there, he and 29 other biotic children were taken to Nodacrux, placed into Orthrus's PSI Program, its purpose to create superior biotics. After extensive psychological, and physical torture in an attempt to brainwash the children, Taylor was freed, had his memory wiped and taken to by Jensen Holjberg, a trainer apart of the PSI research team and a former friend of Taylor's father. Biography Early Life Childhood Taylor Hand McClellan was born on Eden Prime, the child of Alliance Officer James Van McClellan, and Wendy Kinnel. He spent his youth living with his parents and two older brothers, Jordan Kinnel, and Justin Kinnel. On a routine medical examination, it was discovered Taylor was a biotic as well, and his father had him enrolled in biotic control courses at the age of four. Soon after, his parents divorced, and James seeking anyway to keep Taylor with him, enrolled Taylor into a biotic academy on Terra Nova. An inscructor at the academy, Jensen Holjberg took a special interest in Taylor and his growing abilities, and he sought to mentor the young biotic. Despite his past with the Exodus Dominion, Jensen even managed to befriend James. Jensen's reports on Taylor were noticed by Orthrus, a biotic research company, who contacted James, inquiring about enrolling Taylor into a special biotic test program. But James, knowing Orthrus's association with the Dominion, and fear of losing his son continuously denied the organization. Orthrus, pushed by the shadow organization Cerberus attempted to kidnap Taylor, succeeding, but killing James in the act. PSI Program Taylor, along with 30 other children, were taken to Ares Station in the on . He was assigned the I.D. Conscript-17 upon arrival, and for the first several months was subjugated to a cold single bed room, as were the rest of the kids. They were nearly starved, fed once a day, and not every day. The psychological torture left the subjects bending to the will of the Cerberus Scientist, handing the researchers the leverage they needed to begin brainwashing the children. They were taught advanced military strategy, mathematics, science, reading, writing, biology, physics, and xeno studies over the next four years. The PSI conscripts began learning combat skills, along with other cutting-edge military training. Their biotics were being rigorously trained daily as well, with Cerberus's goal of creating "perfect" biotics. Taylor grew close with fellow conscripts Giovanni Vasquez, Rachel Weathers, and their teacher Dianna Yeldon, one of the few Cerberus scientist who genuinely cared for the kids. At the age of eight, the scientist began to brainwash the candidates, attempting to instill a sense of Cerberus's mentality, to produce an elitist super soldier, the ideal Cerberus infantry. Over the years, Taylor proved himself to be one of the most capable children, at least in terms of physical and biotic potential. Unfortunately for the Cerberus, he resisted their attempts to brainwash him, maintaining a sense of right and wrong, often finding himself at odds with the other children. Most of the them had forgotten their past lives already. Cerberus identified him and Josiah Court as the two leaders of the PSI Candidates. The two also began to develop a rivalry over their training. In the end, Josiah was awarded the role of leader, due to Taylor's resistance to Cerberus's mental conditioning. Two years later, Dr. Charlie Murdoch, the head of the program, selected the top ten conscripts, who where ideal physical and mental candidates for the L9 implants,skeletal mods, and muscle augmentations. Taylor was one of the first selected for the operation. The procedure was brutal, killing four of the children, but leaving Taylor and the others in critical condition. After his recovery, he and the other augmented biotics returned to training, their skills now exceeding the other candidates by far. Over the next six years, the psychological indoctrination began to take it's effect on Taylor, and the few other children who still showed resilience. Doctor Yeldon recognized this, and the guilt and regret for her part in the project slowly started to weigh on her conscious. On the night November 15th 2264 CE, Yeldon deceived the security at Ares Station, and kidnapped several of the children, Taylor included and fled. She kept the children secured in cryo-chambers, and headed for to Doctor Jenea T'Sauria, where they each underwent a memory wipe, successfully erasing the Cerberus indoctrination from their minds, along with their lives prior to Cerberus. Yeldon then went from colony to colony leaving the children in separate locations, hoping to hide them from Cerberus. Taylor, was left on . Life On Omega When the sedatives wore off, Taylor awoke inside the Gozu Clinic, with no memory of his past life, the doctor, Quell Kyt informed him that he had retrograde amnesia, and that he had been found unconscious in an alley way, the only thing he could remember, his name. Kyt gave Taylor all the information he had on him, which was next to nothing, however, Taylor vowed to find more details on his past and where he came from. Taylor began to search break into the security stations and clinics across the station, instinctively he knew how to bypass security measures and how to survive in the slums of the station by stealing food with out getting caught. Over this time, he was haunted by realistic nightmares. His actions didn't go unnoticed by the , who believe that the Dark Space Mercenary Company was behind the break ins. Taylor soon found himself being tracked by a young Turian. However he easily deceived him, rendering him unconscious and taking him into the scaffolding he had turned into his own home. After regaining consciousness, the Turian introduced himself as Sykes Wiam, a member of the Talons. Sykes came to the realization that Taylor was no Dark Space mercenary, and Taylor confirmed his suspicions after revealing what he was doing, searching for answers to who he was. He released Sykes, and promised to cease the break ins, understanding that the Talons would retaliate. More importantly, Taylor made his first friend that night. The Talons Months later, Sykes reached out to Taylor, requesting he meet him at the club . There, an inebriated Sykes gave Taylor and offer, a place in the Talons, as aggression between the Talons and the Dark Space Mercenaries began to climb. Sykes believed the Talons could assist Taylor, in the long run, perhaps help him find answers about his past, and a way off of Omega. Though he was skeptical at first, Taylor comprehened that he had no better options, as surviving on the streets for over a year had led him nowhere. He accepted, and soon was brought into the Talons officially by Jaxon Moizeus, where he and Sykes earned a reputation as a lethal team, combating the small Dark Space incursions that had been rocking Omega. By 2267, Taylor was continuing his work with Talons in their fight against the Dark Spacers, however, he began to fear he'd never escape Omega, and even began to believe it wasn't meant for him to discover his past. Sykes and Taylor raided a Dark Space hide out in the slums of Omega. The two managed to eliminate all six undercover Dark Space operatives, and upon searching the room, discovered a shipment of belonging to Aria that had been stolen. Later that night at Afterlife, while attending a going away party for Joseph Wolfe, Taylor attempted to dismiss the strife from his mind. He met a young Asari, who introduced herself as Iyra Aldonia, and induced a flirtatious conversation with her. Eventually, the Asari began to ask Taylor suspicious questions, revolving around his name, and how long he had been on Omega. Troubled by Iyra's inquest, Taylor left the bar, and headed back to his apartment, enduring more nightmares that night. The following day, he and Sykes were assigned to investigate reports of suspicious activity in the lower slums of the station, murders. With the information they received from Dibs, a living in the ghetto, the two headed for an abandoned casino, in search for the murders. Inside the casino they discovered that murders were a rouse, a trap designed by freelancers in an attempt to capture Taylor. The Talons managed to defeat their attackers, and on the body of the mercenary leader found a datapad that confirmed their intentions, it was ordered by an alias, Agent Charon. The information disturbed Taylor, and after question Dibs learned the mercenaries forced the Salarian into deceiving the two. He then brought this information before Jaxon, nervous and concerned that these mercenaries would start a conflict with the Talons. Jaxon however, assured him that the Talons would stand by Taylor no matter the consequences. Agent of the Shadow Broker Escaping Omega The following night, Talons led by Wyatt, confronted Taylor, informing him that they were to detain him under Aria's orders . Taylor however, resisted, and managed to incapacitate his fellow Talons. He then fled his apartment, and headed to seek help from the one person he believed he could trust, Sykes. After arriving at his friends apartment, Sykes agreed to assist him, and led him to sanctuary at Quell Kyt's clinic in the lower wards. Taylor decided the best option was to lay low in the clinic until Sykes could find him a way off of the planet. Led by a coerced Sykes, Iyra, Attar Mourin, Orian Burrugh and several others were taken to Taylor's location. There, Iyra attempted to convince Taylor that she was there to find him, and help him, though under different circumstances originally. Taylor was reluctant to trust Asari, but the time for a decision was cut short, as armed mercenaries stormed the clinic, in search of the human biotic, and in the ensuing firefight, killed Kyt. The death of the doctor certainly disheartened Taylor, and he agreed to leave with Iyra in her team, as to avoid anyone else dying because of him. After arriving at the hangar where Iyra's ship was docked, they discovered the Dark Spacers, led by Zach Morris had beat them there, and disabled the shuttle. Zach then executed the final member of Iyra's team, their pilot Yavi Korren. The Dark Space Commander issued an ultimate to the group, demanding Taylor, but instead, Taylor opened fire, starting a shootout in the hangar. In the battle, Vispis Tye was gunned down by the mercenaries, and Orian sacrificed his own life to save Iyra. Taking her hostage, Zach forced the remaining three to surrender, and ordered his men to kill Mourin and Sykes. They were unable to finish the task, as Aria, Jaxon and a squad of Talons arrived just in time. The ambush provided the chance for Taylor and the others to escape, Aria and Jaxon leading them to an prepped escape shuttle, but Zach and his few remaining men pursued them. As the fight continued, Taylor engaged the Dark Space commander in a close quarters confrontation. Despite nearly being overpowered and killed, Taylor regained the advantage in a biotic rage after Jaxon dove in front of Zach's shot, killing himself in the process. As Zach struggled to fight back, Taylor forced the mercenary to point his own gun at himself, and pulled the trigger on Zach, killing him. Aria, shocked and angered at Jaxon's death, saw Taylor responsible, leaving him with a warning, to never return to Omega. Taylor, though holding his emotions together rather well was distraught, and boarded the shuttle along with Iyra, Mourin, and a depleted Sykes. In his mix of emotions Taylor slightly blamed Iyra for the deaths that occurred on the station, but ultimately found it to be his own fault. As they left Omega, Mourin informed the others the ship lacked Mass Relay capabilities, before they could leave the system they had to find a ship, and set their destination for the outlaw world of Harbor. Taking the Griffon Taylor and the others were subjected to a crude landing on Harbor, as Mourin brought the ship down rough in a small meadow. The landing provoked an argument outside the ship between Iyra and Mourin, Taylor tried to mediate and calm the situation down. It was cut short however, as Sykes spotted two people watching the group, and Taylor beckoned them down. It was a young human, Quentis Defoe, and a young Quarian girl, Ayala, Taylor didn't perceive either of them as a threat and simply asked the two for directions to the nearest city, Kara'Shan. Quentis, rather cocky, was happy to oblige, and the four headed on their way to the city, Taylor letting Quentis know the ship was scrap and he could do what ever he wanted with it. As they headed into the woods, Taylor noticing Sykes's quiet demeanor attempted to reach out to his friend over what had happened on Omega, but Sykes simply shut down and wouldn't open up. Seeing no other options for the walk, Taylor decided to rejoin on Iyra and Mourin's argument. Eventually the four reached Kara'Shan, though most of the group was rather warn out and tired, Taylor remained talkative and energetic, as usual. Making their way through the dirty crowded streets of Kara'Shan, Taylor noticed signs referring to the 'Legion', which Mourin revealed to be a speeder gang that controlled the city. Taylor found this humorous, but Mourin insisted the Grey Legion was very dangerous. They headed across the city towards the slums in search of somewhere to lay low. At the entrance to the slums, they discovered the Legion had set a checkpoint, their thugs searching and taking the belongings of the newly arrived refugees. Knowing the thugs would be alerted by the group, as they did not look like refugees, and they were armed, Taylor prepared for a fight, with Mourin and Sykes backing him. Iyra, however, attempted to convince Taylor that they should just leave, but that would only draw more attention. As one of the thugs approached, Taylor opened fire, and the others joined him, turning the walkway into a firefight as the refugees ran for cover. The four easily defeated the thugs, and headed into the ghetto, Iyra leading the way, annoyed with Taylor and the other's decision to fight the thugs. Within a large old apartment complex the group found a room to hideout, and there, Iyra revealed to Taylor she was an Agent of the Shadow Broker. Her task was to find Taylor, for help, but she wouldn't go into anymore detail. This, disappointed Taylor, however he pledged to assist the Asari in any way he could if it helps him find answers to his past. The next day, the four set out back into the streets of Kara'Shan in search of a vessel to purchase, but the pickings were non-existent, not even in the black market of the city. Willing to find a solution, Taylor suggested they commandeer a ship, however, Iyra shot this idea down, not willing to make anymore enemies than they had, despite Taylor's protest. Not long after they crossed paths with Quentis and Ayala once more, who gave them some information on Kara'Shan, revealing that the Grey Legion had shut down the ship trade sometime ago. As they spoke the group witnessed a frigate, gliding over the city, Quentis revealed it to be the MSV Eon Griffon, the flag ship of Falco Drayton, leader of the Grey Legion. Taylor once again began thinking about stealing a ship, the Griffon being their target. Quentis also mentioned the Grey Relay, a race that's pot was 20,000 creds and a spot in the Legion. With that information Taylor began to develop a plan, win that race, get into the Legion's compound, and steal the Griffon. Upon returning to the apartment Taylor revealed his plan to the rest of the team, convincing them, including a reluctant Iyra. Description Physical Description Taylor is fit and stout, muscular for his size yet defined. Standing at only 175.26 Cm, (5.9 Ft), and 72 kg (160 Lbs), he is broad, yet slim and long limbed. He has a gaunt face, a slightly larger forehead than most, a thick strong jaw, small ears, and an arched nose. His eyes are a dark blue-green, and most of the time a thin beard is stretched across his jaw. He keeps his hair high and tight, shaved near to the scalp along the sides and back, with a tuft of combed over hair atop his head. Abilities Taylor's greatest strengths was his preeminent speed and agility, and his exceptional instincts, intuition and tactical dexterity. Despite his small stature, he was strong for his size, able to lift 3 and half times his body weight through his legs, with out the use of his biotics as well. He was quick, and agile, only ever having been beat in a race by a once before. As well as being quick, Taylor is quite acrobatic, having crafted excellent reflexes, reactions, and flexibility, he found easier than most to move from one difficult location to another. He is excellent in hand to hand combat, and knows a combination of martial arts, operating off a kickboxing base combined with a mix of Judo, Wrestling, and Jiu Jitsu. Possessing these adept hand to hand abilities also aided him when using blades, and omnitools. Being a biotic, Taylor never shied away from using his abilities in combat, and was considered one of the strongest biotics of all time. Though this was partly in thanks to the augmentation process he endured with Cerberus during the PSI Program. He had a knack for using lethal and dangerous biotic abilities, ones that most biotics refrained from due to the potential for self-harm. Often employing , , storm, , and the ever so deadly . He also a variety of throws, slashes, slams, and pulls in his attacks as well. Besides his offensive abilities, Taylor's greatest strength was perhaps his protective abilities, such as , which he was able to deploy on himself, with enough strength to block a multitude of weapon fire. He also employed his biotics in his physical attacks as well, throwing it behind every punch, kick, and attack. With his Cerberus upbringing, Taylor had extensive knowledge of the anatomy of most species across the galaxy. Despite having his memory wiped, he did retain this information, and used it along with his biotics, targeting his enemies weak and vital spots across their body. Taylor was also an ace with ranged weapons, but preferred medium range heavy power assault rifles. Aside from this he also used different weapons, sub machine guns, sniper rifles, pistols, and heavy weaponry. Personality An enigmatic personality, Taylor is often recognized as kind and pure man,someone who has always pursued meaningful goals. Outside of this dominant trait he is competitive, honest, intuitive, and temperamental. He is a very caring person, who looks out for his friends. He is compassionate and loyal to those he cares about, and he values the galaxy as a whole, a willingness to sacrifice everything for the sanctity of life. He is a fierce competitor who thrives in stressful situations, and always aims to make the most out of what he has in life. A constant desire to win has pushed him through life. Effectively he has made himself an unbreakable shell that is unwilling to quit. Another clearly prominent trait is his ego and narcissism, something that to many is conflicted by his admirable attitude. The ego is an effect of his competitiveness and his desire for victory. His belief in himself is paramount, even cocky at times, which has casted him in an undesirable view to some. An obsession with being entirely independent has guided him in his development. Though he was not always as confident as he became, years of positive reinforcement has left him mentally sound and trained. Unafraid to be judgmental and speak his mind Taylor is willing to step beyond boundaries to make a point, leaving him with the appearance of a 'jerk'. He is compassionate towards almost everything, always having an opinion on something and typically clashing with others. These clashes do not bother him however, as he loves voicing his own, and hearing other's opinions. Taylor wholeheartedly supports the ideals of freedom, such as freedom of speech, press, expression, which ever. And despite standing against the views of many, he respects their opinions, understanding it's their freedom to have those opinions. He appreciates diversity in society as well, and has admitted he 'loves' people in general. Many believe he is plagued by a short temper, which is true to an extent. Taylor despises losing, something that does indeed trigger his anger, as well as sports. Incivility, rudeness and arrogance are all other attitudes that have burned him. He has a difficult time taking orders or being oppressed, this has often pushed him into clashing heads with others. The temper issues are so specific however, as there are very few acts outside of what was mentioned that anger him. He is decisive and always ready to make a decision, no matter what the issue is, even when it comes to killing. Taylor believes if someone is going to die, then they're going to die, and he won't hesitate to pull the trigger. Emotion normally has not affected his decision making, and he has always been content with his choices. Friends, and his loyalty to his allies are another aspect of the human's nature. All the same, he makes time for his friends constantly, often helping them with their own issues. Taylor was sometimes called a "grown-ass teenager" by Jaxon Moizeus, in regards to his fun loving, but occasionally juvenile and risky nature. He is considered by some to be gullible, often willing to trust those he doesn't know. In reality, Taylor is just so confident in himself, that if he were to be betrayed his skills alone could resolve the situation. Taylor is also an "iron man", often exercising and training when ever he gets the chance, this consumes most of his free time. He believes a strong body will keep him alive in a firefight. The competitiveness factors into this as well, pushing him physically even more as he uses it as a stress reliever. His focus isn't only on physical training however, as Taylor is obsessed with knowledge, specifically science and history. Friendships Relationships Iyra Aldonia Equipment Taylor is outfitted heavily, compared to most mercenaries. His armor, the IZ Harbinger BMBS, was designed specifically for him. It aids in the use of biotics, allowing Taylor to reach his full potential. Taylor's load out is centered around accuracy, and power over rate of fire. His primary weapon of choice is the IZ-33 CLUTCH Assault Riffle, for it's accuracy, and power. Aside form this he carries a light armament, consisting of the IZ-13 SPARROW Magnum, and the IZ-03 DEMON Sub Machine Gun. He also has a pair on mono-molecular blades, inside of his arm, that sling out from beneath his forearms. Medals and Accolades Medals Accolades Appearances *Mass Effect: Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy **COSG: The Awakening Trivia *Taylor's personality represents pure positivism and realism. As well as the undying confidence he has in himself, and the ability to overcome. This is also combined with his many obvious flaws, occasional anger issues, denial, and his narcissism. *His personality is based off the author, while other influences include John-117, Tom Brady, Mordin Solus *Originally intended to be intrepid and dauntless from the start of the series, Taylor's character was reviewed and it was best decided to build his resolve through out the story line. Gallery Related Pages *Iyra Aldonia (Romance) *IZ Harbinger BMBS (Armor) *PSI Program *Spectres *Quentis Defoe (Companion) *Attar Mourin (Companion) *Sykes Wiam (Companion) *Ayala (Companion) *MSV Eon Griffon (Ship) *Systems Alliance *Josiah Court (Rival) Category:Humans Category:Articles by WolfOfTheEast Category:Chronicles of a Silent Galaxy Category:Biotics Category:Vanguard Category:Mercenaries Category:COSG Category:Shadow Broker